Self-sealing jar.



No. 712,049. Patented oct. 2a, |902. .1. s. nu Bols.

SELF SEALING- JAR.

(App1icaeion nle'avJan. 14. 1902. 41m modell; 2 sheets-sheet 2.

UNITED STATES JOSIAH S. DU BOIS, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

SELF-SEALING JAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 712,049, dated October28, 1902.

Application led January 14, 1902. Serial No. 89,722. (No model.)

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, .IOSIAH S. DU BOIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oamden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Sealing Jars,of which the following is a specification.

Objects of the invention are to insure the perfect sealing of the jar,to simplifyits con'- struction and that of its self-acting lid orclosure, and to provide means for keeping the fruit, vegetables, ormeats immersed in the syrup or canning iuid, said means presenting asurface or surfaces upon which the mold may accumulate, or upon theremoval of the lid acting to skim 0H any mold that may have formed uponthe surface of the canning solution.

To these and other objects presently discussed the invention consists inthe self-sealing preserving jar or vessel and in the novel construction,combinations, and arrangements of parts thereof hereinafter describedand claimed.

The nature, characteristic features, and scope of the invention ,will bemore clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings,forming a part hereof, and in which Figure l is a sectional elevationalView of a self-sealing jar embodying features of my invention. Fig. 2 isa sectional view similar to that of Fig. l with the omission of theimmersing-plate. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate varied ways of mountingthe immersing-plate. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 illustrate varied forms of thelid. Fig. lO is a detail illustrating the split spring-Washer.

In the drawings, A is a glass or other jar, which is of the simplestconstruction, being here shown as having the same general diame. terthroughout, although it may' be otherwise formed. The top of the jar isprovided with an internal annular flange or shoulder B and terminates ina smooth cylindrical mouth portion, the liange or shoulder B beingtransversely extended at its top to provide a seat for the lid or cover.

The closure, Fig. l, comprises an annular gasket a, of rubber or othermaterial capable of being compressed, which is seated on the shoulder Band may or may not be held to place thereon by a split spring-washer bor its equivalent. c is a perforated disk or immersing-plate, which isseated on the gasket or packing a and serves to keep the preservedproducts im mersed in the preserving solution. The lid proper consistsof an imperforate disk d, which is spaced apart from the immersingplateby an intermediate or distance piece e.

In Fig. 2 the closure is shown without the immersing-plate and with thelid d swelled or conveXed inward.

In the` construction Fig. 3 the immersingplate c is dish or pan shaped,with a peripheral iiange that is seated directly on the shoulder of thejar, and the packing a is disposed between the immersing-plate and thelid.

In Fig. 4 two packing-rings a and a are employed, disposed,respectively, between the shoulder B and the immersing-plate and betweenthe plate and lid d, a distance-piece e being employed, as in Fig. l.

In the construction Fig. 5 the jar is provided with an additional orlower shoulder B', bn which is seated the immersing-plate c, which isseparated from the lid d by a distance-piece c. The lid d has thepackingring a, interposed between it and the shoulder h and is providedwith lugs or guide-pieces d to accommodate the distance-piece. Byemploying the additional shoulder on the jar and the distance-piece e agreater space is obtained between the lid and immersing-plate, andconsequently a greater depth of fluid above the fruit or vegetables.

The closures above described are generally of metal; but in Figs. 6 and7 I have shown a closure of which the lid may be of glass or porcelain.In Fig. 6 7c indicates such a lid, which is provided with a marginalgroove or seat f to accommodate the packing-ring a, and g, Fig. 7,indicates a modification in which the rim is inclined or curved.

In the aforementioned constructions the lid other as regards theirseparability; but for economical and other reasons it is sometimesdesirable to have them integral. Figs. 8 and 9 are examples of thelatter type. In the former figure h and h' illustrate concentric annularplates connected by adistance-piece i'. The lower plate h issuiliciently small to pass the shoulder B on the jar and tends to keepand immersing-plate are independent of each lroo the solid or semisolidcontents of the jar immersed in the preserving fluid, and the upper`plate has its margin resting upon a packingring a and coacts therewithto form a hermetic seal. In Fig. 9 the closure takes the form of a caphaving an extended base portion j, which forms an annular space betweenit and the neck of the jar for the passage of the preserving duid. Thecap is provided with the overhanging ange or shoulderj', whichcooperates with the packing a to seal the jar. In both instances it willbe observed that the lid presents a greatly-increased surface orsurfaces upon which the mold may accumulate, thus drawing the latteraway from the contents of the jar and effecting a more satisfactorypreservation of the saine. The filled jars having the cover applied asindicated are then subjected to an air-exhausting operation. This may bedone in the manner shown and described in United States Letters PatentNo. 533,975, granted to me February 4, 1896, and in which the tlledjarsare placed in a vacuum-chamber and the air expelled or exhausted fromthem. Then a vacuum has been established in the jars by iirst exhaustingthe air from the exterior vessel, and, secondly, by suddenly admittingair thereto, as described in said patent, the atmospheric pressure willbe sufticient to force and hold the lids down upon their seats, wherebythe packing or gasket a will be tightly compressed against the jar,thereby constituting a hermetic seal.

Where a vacuu m-creating device is not generally at hand-as, forinstance, in private householdsa vacuum may be formed by placing aweight on the lid While the contents of the jar are still hot.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the inventionappertains that moditications may be made in details without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Hence I do not limit myselfto the precise construction and arrangement of parts hereinabovedescribed, and illustrated in the accompanying'drawings; but,

Having described the nature and objects oi' the invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a jar having an internal annular Iiange orshouldernearits open end, a packing-ring seated on said shoulder, a perforatedimmersing-plate supported by said ring, a packing-ring above theimmersing-plate, an im perforate lid held against said last-mentionedring by atmospheric pressure, and an intermediate distance-piece forconvexing the immersingplate, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a jar having an internal annular flange orshouldernear its open end, a packing-ring seated on said shoulder, a spring forholding said ring to place, animmersing-plate, a lid held against saidring by atmospheric pressure with its top below or substantially ilushwith the top ofthe jar, and a distance-piece for spacing said lid andimmersingplate apart, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOSIAII S. DU BOIS.

lVitnesses:

W. J. JACKSON, K. M. GILLIGAN.

